Melafix Not Working

[newfishaddict]

I have a FW angel fish (scalare) that has had what I think is columbaris for a few months. The disease is very minor (just two small white spots on "her" caudal fin). I didnt treat and kept a close watch on this fish and the columbnaris didnt get any worse for months. I hoped frequent water changes might allow the fish to fight of the disease itself; well it still has the white spots a few months later so I have been treating with Melafix for 10 days now. The white spots have MAYBE gotten a bit smaller, perhaps they are the same. I really want to save this fish, so I have tetracycline and erythromycin and am wondering about treating this fish with one or both of these antibiotics;

Question: what is recommended? Anyone know about treating the fish with Melafix and antibiotics at the SAME time? I really want to be aggressive with treatment as this fish has been sick for a while now...

Note: I did attach a pic two months ago an a few members here thought it WAS columbaris...

 

[sylvia]

Melafix contains so little active ingredient that you can sue it in combination with rpetty much anything without ill effects. Consequently, melafix is rarely any use when it comes to treating infection - it's only realy useful for helping healing and calming the fish. You may as well continue using it but don't expect any improvements because of it.

Antibiotics for internal ifnections shouldn't be used for something like this - just get an anti fungus and finrot med. and it should work a treat. Also lower the temperature in teh tank (gradualy) to about 75 deg F. This realy hinders columnaris.

If you live in the UK, Interpet's Treatment #8 is usualy effective. If not, you probably have a strain it doesn't treat so just get a different brand and try that. Realisticly, it may take a few days to see any improvement - but you should soon see it

 

[dwarfgourami]

I wonder if people don't sometimes confuse Melafix with its brother Pimafix. Melafix is just a mild tonic, it can help the healing process along, but doesn't actually get rid of any nasties for you. Pimafix is an antibacterial medication that IME is quite effective. The two can be used together. But Melafix is fine used with most other medications too.

 

[WILDER]

Yes you can use melafix with antibiotics, they use it to treat the outside infection.
But for columnaris it tends to do nothing melafix, I would go in with the tetracycline if you can issolate as it will wipe the bacteria conlony out in your filter, the erythromycin tends to wipe the bacteria out in the filter but not as much as the tetracycline.

 

[newfishaddict]

Melafix contains so little active ingredient that you can sue it in combination with rpetty much anything without ill effects. Consequently, melafix is rarely any use when it comes to treating infection - it's only realy useful for helping healing and calming the fish. You may as well continue using it but don't expect any improvements because of it.

Antibiotics for internal ifnections shouldn't be used for something like this - just get an anti fungus and finrot med. and it should work a treat. Also lower the temperature in teh tank (gradualy) to about 75 deg F. This realy hinders columnaris.

If you live in the UK, Interpet's Treatment #8 is usualy effective. If not, you probably have a strain it doesn't treat so just get a different brand and try that. Realisticly, it may take a few days to see any improvement - but you should soon see it

"Antibiotics for internal infections shouldn't be used for something like this " WHY?

My understanding is that columbnaris is caused by a bacteria and that tetracycline or erythromycin should work...do you disagree?

Yes you can use melafix with antibiotics, they use it to treat the outside infection.
But for columnaris it tends to do nothing melafix, I would go in with the tetracycline if you can issolate as it will wipe the bacteria conlony out in your filter, the erythromycin tends to wipe the bacteria out in the filter but not as much as the tetracycline.

Thanks Wilder…

I have my angel fish in a 29g with 6 corries, I was thinking I would move my corries to another tank and then treat the angel with erythromycin alone in the 29g. Do you know a good dose? I think I remember that 250mg per 5g was good. I would also do daily water changes with the idea that the bio filter will be negatively impacted; do I have a good plan?

Would you bother using melafix at the same time?

I should also note that I now see some columnaris at the tips of the angel’s finnage, and now I actually see some BGA or algae growing on the fish in some small areas? Is this common?

What treatment would you use in this case?

I wonder if people don't sometimes confuse Melafix with its brother Pimafix. Melafix is just a mild tonic, it can help the healing process along, but doesn't actually get rid of any nasties for you. Pimafix is an antibacterial medication that IME is quite effective. The two can be used together. But Melafix is fine used with most other medications too.

good point, I think this might have happened to me...

 

[WILDER]

I wouldn't bother with the melafix, that sounds fine to me, i will check on the dosage for you i think it 250mg to every 20gal, don't forget to increase aeration, good luck.

This one not as bad on the filter media.
Erythromycin 50 mg/L for 15 min


250 mg/ 25 gallons, indefinite
antibacterial
Cyanobacter control
ineffective. not advised
will not harm biological filter at this dose

 

[newfishaddict]

1) Sorry Wilder but Im not certain what you mean here....

"250 mg/ 25 gallons, indefinite
antibacterial
Cyanobacter control
ineffective. not advised
will not harm biological filter at this dose"



2) Also, I have experience with how antibiotics work(microbilogy experience outside of the aquarium hobby), and because of this I am skeptical about a 15 minute treatment...have you used the 15 minute treatment before with success?

 

[WILDER]

Never done antibiotic baths, wouldn't bother with them.
That what the article said, but i would take no notice of the bath thing.

 

[newfishaddict]

Never done antibiotic baths, wouldn't bother with them.
That what the article said, but i would take no notice of the bath thing.

Can you give me the link to the article?

not sure what that quote means...

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

http/www.pets-warehouse.com/Fishmed2.htm

 

[Tolak]

I would start with the tetracycline, 10-20mg/liter of tank water, with daily water changes of at least 25%. It can also be used in food, 50-75mg/kg of fish weight daily. Since that is almost impossible to break down,what I do is take a little frozen brine shrimp, a piece about the size of a matchhead & sprinkle a little on. Make it look like a tiny powdered doughnut. Do this for 10-14 days.

 

[WILDER]

When you use antibioics in food, you have to mix the white of an egg to bind it, so to start of get frozen food,, crush some antibotic on a plate, roll the frozen food in the egg white, then roll it in the antitbotic, and put ini then fridge to set for half an hour.

 

[newfishaddict]

When you use antibioics in food, you have to mix the white of an egg to bind it, so to start of get frozen food,, crush some antibotic on a plate, roll the frozen food in the egg white, then roll it in the antitbotic, and put ini then fridge to set for half an hour.

With the columbnaris being an external infection, is there a use to feeding the fish antibiotics? How much blood circulation is in a fish's finnage? Also, with antibiotics in the water, wouldn’t this be the best approach for this external infection?

I have made medicated feed in the past by:
-dissolving antibiotics in warm treated water, then putting food disks (hikari) into the water
-the food disks soaks up the water that has the antibiotics in the water
-then I reduce the moisture in the food by drying them for a hour or so
-the I store the antibiotic food paste in an Ziploc in the fridge..

Does this seem like a good method for making medicated feed?

 

[WILDER]

To be honest i would just add the antibiotic to the tank water, medicated foods is only good if they are still eating and gettifng enough of it.
The method you have come up with for adding the antibiotic to the foods sounds good to me, but i'm no expert, good luck.

 

[Tolak]

Not all drugs work mixed with food. Tetracycline does, even with a fish's primitive circulatory system. As Wilder stated, it only works with fish that are eating, and it works best in conjunction with the long term bath method. Antibiotic medications in the water is most often adsorbed through the fish's gills.

Mixing tetracycline with brine shrimp does work for columnaris in angels, I've done it before. Commercially made medicated flake is produced by spraying a medicated solution on the flake, then letting it dry. You could do this yourself, or just dust brine shrimp & mix it in once a day.